Mildewproof cellulose produced by reaction with chlord-benzyl quaternary ammonium salts



Patented Sept. 2, 1952 V UNITED STAT ES MILDEWPROOF CELLULOSE PRODUCED BY I l REACTION WITH CHLORO-BENZYL T-ERNA-RY AMMONIUM SALTS- Monroe Courier ,1 waynesbordivas assignor to v stitnte of Textile Technolog ,'Gharmttesviue; Va., a corporationof Virginia No Drawing;

dewproofing efiiciency and; in the. mildewproof character of the resulting cellulose. I I "More particularly my. invention isconcerned with the treatment of cellulose with compounds having the formula f 1 1 I! Z CH CH..' CHiN CH Q l\ X CH=CH M 1 where R. represents chlorine or bromine, n is an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, and X is a negative ion-a. such :as chloride, bromide,- "iodide or =metho sulfate (CI-hSOi"). -Thesecompounds arecrystalline, solid, water-soluble quaternary nitrogen salts-"and have the capacityof attaching tofl-or combining with the cellulose when applied in an aqueous solutionorin an aqueous alkaline solu-'- tion -to: impart to the cellulose a relatively'stable mildewproof character; The compoundsare at least tenaciously attached in whole or in part to the cellulose and I'-believe they form new 'compounds with thecellulosel When the chlorine substituted compound, for example, is incorporated with the cellulose, the compound which I believe results is a chlorobenzyl ether of cellulose. The class, of compounds which I believe to form in the practice of my invention maybe represented by the-formula. V v v (R),l in which (Rmis asabove described. I attribute the I tenacious coupling of 1 the mildewproofing compounds to the cellulose to the formation. of. such compounds.---'

The mildewproofing compounds which Iadd to. or combine with; -cellulose ,mayr'b'e prepared by ApplicationnNovenxlier. 15, 1M5? v I Serial No. 127,527 6 Claims, Q

reacting}; :"thev appr iate... l benzyl halide pyridine. ,For, example, i I- I;( 3.4- dichlorobenzyll pyridinium chloride;

rideto standoverni'ght' at 25"C. with B'ipartsbY weight of pyridine; and then filtering oiI th colorless-crystals which have been formed.'- This compound is water solublei and contains one atom of ionizable chlorine.-. Inasimilar Way the tritetraor pentachloro, or triitetra-"01 pentabromo derivatives may be prepared. ,1

' .In carrying out .a' 'method of my invention." in the preparation of a mildewproof cellulose,j cellulose :imany suitable form-- may-"be treated withonepfthe mildewproofing compounds in amounts varying, say, from 1% to 6%, based on thedry weightof the cellulose. The compound may be applied to the cellulose by impregnating thefa-bric, yarn, or fibrous mass, as

. the case may be, in an aqueous solution, removing the cellulose from the solution; and after: wards drying it at temperaturesbelow aboutIOO 6 Instead ofsimply drying the cellulose iri-theatmosphere, it may be dried by" heating and thereafter heated to a curing temperature. One of the i'mportant features of my'invention is that Ican achieve a m'or'e tenacious coupling of thecompounds' to the cellulose by heating the treated and dried cellulose to a"temperature of from C; to 200? (7., preferably at'a tempera tureofj C; for a shortti'me, say, for about minute to lfiminutes. fl

The process is generally assisted by the-pres= ence of alkaline materials which are advantageously included in the impregnating solution. These include weak inorganic bases, such as sodium carbonate," sodium bicarbonate, sodium acetate, borax, trisodiumphosphate, or organic bases's'uch as trietha'nolamine and ethylen'ediamine. These alkaline substances generally cause,

a greaterpercentage-of the active ingredient.

tensile "strength, probably-incurred by evolution.

ric is then placed in an oven at 145 C. for min- I utes. The treated fabric exhibits a breaking load of 79 pounds per inch. In order to demonstrate the permanency of the mildewproof proper-L ties, the sample was washed well in hot soap solution and extracted twice withboiling benzene,

after which it was found to be totally resistant-to a 7-day exposure in contact with an agar culture of Chaetomium globosum at C. This treated sample revealed no visible mildew growth under these conditions, whereas an untreated sample similarly exposed appeared heavily coveredwith mildew growth and was severely damaged. In the above operation, the sodium Carbonate may bereplaced hy' equivalent amounts 1 of {any of; the aforementioned alkaline materirilsi" The improved cellulose of myinvention does not suffer appreciable adverse effects. For example, it does not acquire such undesirable properties as stifiness, odors, undesirable hand, or appreciable strength loss. The mildewproof cellulose .of: my invention will resist washing with soap,;rubbing,' solvent extraction and other harmful: agencies, and still manifest mildew resistant propertiesto a marked degree. A significant feature ,of the invention is that the cellulose can be treated with avwater. solution in a simple padding andhcuring. operation.

Iclaim: 1; ,The A method of Vmildewproofing. cellulose which comprises immersing'the cellulose in an aqueous solution c'ontainingirom, 1 to .6 %v of .a f 4 compound represented by theformula i in',which R representslahalogen of thegrou'p' consisting or chlorine and bromine; 11. is an iriteger from 1 to 5 inclusive, and X is a negative ion of the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and (CHaSOr), drying the gcellulose and heating the cel-lulose to-a temperature in; the range of-fromlOOf C. to 20,0?:C;gt0. cure-:the :prod" the Aromatic Nucleusfi Lawrenc'e'et a1; 1

uct and tenaciously couple the compound to the cellulose.

3. The improved mildewproofed cellulosic product resulting from immersing cellulose in an aqueous solution of from 1% to 6% of a compound represented by the formula GIL-CH in which R, represents a halogen of the group consisting of chlorine and bromine, n is an integerfrom 1 to 5 inclusive, and X is a negative ion of the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and (CH3SQ4 drying the cellulose and heating the cellulose to a temperature in the range of from C. to 200 C. to cure the product andtenac'iously couple the compound to the cellulose.

' 14, The method of mildewproofing cellulose .which comprises impregnating the cellulose with an aqueous solution containing from 1% to 6% of a compound represented by the formula which comprises impregnating :the cellulose with" an aqueous weakly alkaline solution containing from 1% to 6% of a compound represented by the formula CH-CH consisting of chlorine and bromine,- niis amin teger froml to 'fi'inclusive, and X isianegative? ion of the group consisting of chlorine, bromine. i d n nd 3, QF rd yi e. cellulose and ti th el q rtma t perature 'th range ofirom' 100 C.-to 200; C. to cure-the prodc n i 'c u e the compoun toithe cellulose.-

i The .mnewm fed immsi j time a: iting mtherr e i a 5-- 1.1; :7; r

M NRO Q PE -x iammcl spaa The following references file'of this -patent:."

UNITED STATESPATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 1.

Journal American Pharmaceutical associates;

volume 36, November 1947, pages 353- to 358. Germicidal Action of Some Benzyl'Quaternary Ammonium-Compounds I-Iaving 'Substitunts in are of record in the 

1. THE METHOD OF MILDEWPROOFING CELLULOSE WHICH COMPRISES IMMERSING THE CELLULOSE IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING FROM 1% TO 6% OF A COMPOUND REPRESENTED BY THE FORMULA 